Equipping & Encouraging Sunday School and Small Group Leaders

4 Ways to Preview “Coming Attractions” in your Bible Study Group

Tuesdays are for teaching tips, and today’s tip is about “coming attractions.” If you’ve been to the movies lately, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. This past Christmas break, my wife and I set a personal record – we saw 5 movies in 5 days. I sat through 25 minutes worth of previews at each screening, so I saw almost 2.5 hours of coming attractions. That’s a lot of movie clips! But I am well-prepared to make decisions about which movies I want to see this summer. Spiderman: Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 are now on my list of “must see” summer movies.

As I sat through almost three hours of movie previews, it occurred to me that there is a lesson to be learned. Our movie theater friends know the importance of showing us coming attractions. It’s how they build excitement and anticipation for upcoming movies. Why not use the same principle in our Bible study groups? Here are 4 ways you can preview upcoming Bible studies a few weeks in advance:

Preview the title and author of the study. If your next Bible study is written by a “heavy hitter” – a Tony Evans or someone who is highly recognized, then let your group members know who the author is, what he’s written before, and why he’s titled the study the way he has.

Preview the titles of individual sessions. To generate interest in the entire unit of study, preview the titles of individual sessions. Let your group members know that one of the upcoming sessions will be “Balancing your work and family life,” or something else that might hook their interest.

Preview one key Bible study session. There’s usually one study in a unit of study that really stands out – the best of the best. Focus attention on that one study and why you’re excited to be covering the topic in a few weeks.

Preview with people in mind. As you preview the author, series title, session titles, or a single session in an upcoming unit of study, conclude the preview by asking your group members to think about a person (or persons) whom they know would benefit from the study. Use this as a way to motivate your group members to proactively invite friends, neighbors, and co-workers to become involved in a future Bible study.